“Do the next thing”

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Fran June13th, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

I don’t know where it started. Yeah, I could google it and know in a few minutes, but it doesn’t really matter where it started! On Friday’s I wear red, and I try to post something patriotic on my blogs.

So, today I’ll just say that our family is about to launch into a 12 to 13 month stretch ahead of unknowns. God is with us and will give us the grace and peace to withstand the stresses and challenges. We trust he will do the same for Fran.

Here he is at Camp Shelby. He says he doesn’t know why he didn’t smile!

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Patriotic Portrait, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

The Blake family at church is also dealing with deployment. Scott has been gone longer than I can fathom. Just seems like forever. I think when it is all done in August, it will have been 2 years. Now, part of that was spent with Scott home on various leaves, (vacations,) but for the most part, Nicole has been raising their boys alone for all this time, getting advice and encouragement each night in emails from Scott. He is home for another leave. In church I sat behind the Blake family, and at the end of the service, this is what I saw.

And what would give anyone the impression that it might rain?  What, here in Maine?  In the summer?  Give me a break!

(laughs a maniacal laugh, then resorts to drooling….)

Ok, this all day event that we have invited hundreds of people to here at our house and to the field in the neighborhood just may be a wash, (not to be confused with the “washes” out in Arizona during the Monsoons, but sort of.)

We just wanted to give Fran to a chance to visit with everyone he can while he is home, and before heading off to Iraq.  We set up today as an open house of sorts so that people could come and throw stuff on the grill for lunch or supper (OWKA “Dinner,” or” the last meal of the day,”) play a game of Ultimate Frisbee, then ride the trolley downtown for the fireworks.  “Any or all of the above” the invitations said.

Because it is raining, however, it may be a day of, ok, we can grill food, but then bring it in the house and scatter throughout the downstairs to eat and visit.  Rather than Ultimate Frisbee, we may have to resort to Dominoes and home movies!!

Whatever we do today, the purpose is to visit with friends, so it will be just fine, I’m sure…………

TeenPact ME 2006 Hits Newstands!

Originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

A TeenPacter at Flickr did a cool thing with one of the State Class photos and shared it with some of us. It looked cool, and I thought it might be fun to try my hand at something similar. Flicker has all sorts of “toys” that you can use to “play” with your photos. So, I thought I would try it! Now, I realize that for many of you non-TeenPacters, the features stated on the front of this magazine will mean nothing to you. In anyone’s subculture, there are private jokes and understandings that are hidden to anyone on the outside. Still, I’m all about capturing memories and scrapbooking, and photos and writing etc. So, I thought I would share this here just because it is only the beginning of what you can do with your photos for events or occasions. Try it for invitations, or, well, anything! To see a larger version, so you can actually read the words on the “magazine” cover, click the title link under the photo. Oh, and really, there is no such magazine, its just a fake cover!!

Mainers Head to TPNC

Originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

Here we are on Day 2 of our 10 day adventure. Half of our time was spent on the road, and the other half at TeenPact National Convention at a Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Georgia. More than one of us thought that the travel time was as good or better than the actual event that we traveled to! I’m thinking at least some of us will do this again next year. We’ll have to keep in mind, though, that you can’t ever recreate the perfect trip! One thing we can do next year, however, is remember to bring Moxie and Whoopie Pies!